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Today remembering the bravery of Malalai I was thinking about some of our many courageous Pashtun women. Please post a brief biography of brave Pashtun women of the past and present in this thread.
Queen Soraya: November 24, 1899 – April 20, 1968
Queen Soraya, wife of King Amanullah Khan, belonged to the Mohammadzai Pashtun tribe, a powerful sub-tribe of the Barakzai dynasty. She is credited to be one of the first and most powerful Afghan and Muslim female activists. Soraya Tarzi was King Amanullah Khan's only wife, which broke centuries of tradition. It was when she married into the monarchy that she grew to be one of the region's most important figures. Amanullah drew up the first constitution, establishing the basis for the formal structure of the government and setting up the role of the monarch within the constitutional framework. King Amanullah Khan publicly campaigned against the veil, against polygamy, and encouraged education of girls not just in Kabul but also in the countryside. At a public function, Amanullah said that "Islam did not require women to cover their bodies or wear any special kind of veil." At the conclusion of the speech, Queen Soraya tore off her "veil" in public and the wives of other officials present at the meeting followed this example.Soraya was very instrumental in enforcing change for women and publicly exhorted them to be active participants in nation building. In 1926, at the 7th anniversary of Independence from the Brits, Soraya in a public speech delivered the following message:
"It (Independence) belongs to all of us and that is why we celebrate it. Do you think, however, that our nation from the outset needs only men to serve it? Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation and Islam. From their examples we must learn that we must all contribute toward the development of our nation and that this cannot be done without being equipped with knowledge. So we should all attempt to acquire as much knowledge as possible, in order that we may render our services to society in the manner of the women of early Islam."
In 1927 and 1928 Amanullah Khan and his wife Soraya visited Europe. On this trip they were honored and feted. In fact, in 1928 the King and Queen received honorary degrees from Oxford University. The Queen spoke to a large group of students and leaders. This was an era when other Muslim nations, like Turkey and Egypt were also on the path to modernization. Hence, in Afghanistan, the elite was impressed by such changes and emulated their development models. However, the time was not right. Not only did conservative Muslims disagree with the changes, the British distributed pictures of Soraya without a veil, dining with foreign men, and having her hand kissed by the leader of France, Germany, etc. among tribal regions of Afghanistan. Conservative mullahs and regional leaders took the images and details from the royal family's trip to be a flagrant betrayal of Afghan culture, religion and "honor" of women. One can take the circulation of such images from foreign sources as evidence of British efforts to destabilize the Afghan monarchy, the first of many international attempts to keep the country in political, social and economic turmoil. When the royal family returned from Europe, they were met with hostility and eventually forced out of office. In 1929 the King abdicated in order to prevent a civil war and went into exile with his family to Italy.
Soraya Tarzi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Samar Minallah
Samar Minallah is a Pakistani Pashtoon Documentary filmmaker, free lance journalist, human rights activist and an anthropologist. Through various means and mediums she has been fighting and bringing to attention the unseen images and unheard voices of the disadvantaged groups of Pakistan, especially women. Her background in Anthropology and Development from the University of Cambridge UK led her to focus on a culturally sensitive approach to development and social change. While Samar has primarily been documenting the positive aspects of the lives of Pukhtun women, her documentaries have also focused on social and human rights issues. Most of her documentaries, especially the award winning ‘Swara: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters’, is being used for educational purposes at Amnesty International while ‘Bibi Shireenay’ has been screened at the United Nations building in New York. Her documentaries have helped in breaking the silence around many sanctioned forms of violence against women. All her documentaries are issue-based, targeting the general audience and policymakers.She is also founder of Ethnomedia, a non-government organization that works in the field of media and advocacy. Her most recent documentary highlighted the plight of internally displaced Pakhtun tribes people forced out because of the ongoing fighting in the region.
Samar Minallah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
YouTube - Allaho--A lullaby for you my daughter! by Samar Minallah
YouTube - Shinwaray Lawangeena---Where the Waters Meet by Samar Minallah
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Nazo Anna (born in 1061 A.H. (1682 A.D.)
Nazo Anaa was a great intellectual and a poet. She started her education in her early childhood, and soon at this early age stunned her teachers and the elders of the her tribe with her cognizance and charisma. She grew up to be one the best known and respectable woman of her time and in Afghan history. She gained a remarkable prestige for her knowledge, affection, generosity, and hospitality among the people. The tales of her generosity and hospitality were known form Khyber to Kohshon (in present day Iran). She used to treat hundreds of lodgers, especially in the winter time, giving them food, cloths, and a place to sleep in her castle. Nazo Anaa was also a courageous lady, and has left many stories of her heroinism, the famous of which was when her father died in a battle near Soor Ghar (red mountain), and her brother Hajji Addel Tukhi left to avenge their father. Nazo Anaa was left to the defence of the castle and the village. She dressed like a worrier and fought against the enemy to their defeat.
She took exceptional care in the education of her son Mirwais Khan, after an oracle from Sheikh Beet Neekah, writer, thinker and leader of tenth century Afghanistan, in her sleep, in the days when Mirwais Khan was born. She was told to "educate her son well, for that he will grow up to be a leader who will perform great service for his people, go to the house of God, and from will bore a magnificent dynasty that will lighten the people with Islam."
Naz o Ana :: Khyber.ORG
Malalai Kakar (1967 – 28 September 2008)
Malalai Kakar was the most high-profile policewoman in Afghanistan after the ousting of the Taliban in 2001 A Lieutenant Colonel, she was the head of Kandahar's department of crimes against women. Kakar, who received numerous death threats, was assassinated by the Taliban on September 28, 2008. She was shot dead between 7:00am and 8:00am in her car outside of her house while on the way to work. When Kakar was killed she was reported to be either in her late 30s or early to mid 40s and had 6 children.
Kakar joined the police force in 1982, following in the footsteps of her father and brothers. She was the first woman to graduate from the Kandahar Police Academy, and the first to become an investigator with the Kandahar Police Department.The fate of Malalai Kakar illustrates the intricacies of gender issues in law enforcement in Afghanistan. Female Afghan police offiers leave their homes hidden by a burqa, to don a police uniform and weapon at the police station to do their job. End of 2009 there were about 500 active duty policewomen in Afghanistan, compared with about 92,500 policemen. A few dozen serve in the southern provinces Kandahar and Helmand, where the influence of the Taliban is strongest.
Policewomen play an essential role in the war against insurgents in Afghanistan. In a culture that is marked by a strict separation of the sexes, the security forces need women to perform special tasks, like the searching of women and homes. They are essential to conduct home searches, since Afghans are deeply offended when male soldiers or police enter premises where women are present, and at checkpoints men cannot search women for concealed weapons and other contraband.
Malalai Kakar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
------------
Maria Maria Toorpakai Wazir
Recalling her childhood days in the town of Shakai, a witty Maria says she used to fight with boys in the streets, which ultimately helped her become a strong and independent woman. "My father raised me as a boy, and I too have always considered myself a boy," she said, noting that this why her first sport choices was weightlifting.
She disguised herself as a boy to take part in her first ever sports event, which was a weightlifting championship in Peshawar. However, due to the lack of facilities for women weightlifters, she decided to give up the sport, though she still thinks she had the potential to excel in that field. Maria met former world squash champion Jansher Khan in Peshawar in 2002, sparking her interest in the sport.Two years later, she became Pakistan’s top female squash player and is currently seeded 85 on the World Squash Federation ranking.
Maria gives credit to her father for all her achievements. "It’s my father who has brought me here. He had to migrate from Waziristan to Peshawar because he did not accept the so-called tribal traditions, which have nothing to do with Islam."Maria admits that there is a little room for women in normal course of life in rugged Waziristan.
"For a majority of women and girls their boundary walls are everything," she notes." It’s the entire world for them, which definitely is because of local culture and tribal traditions." The squash champion insists, however, that this has nothing to do with Islam which is the biggest exponent of women rights. "Islam doesn’t forbid women to excel in every walk of life," Maria insists."I believe that Islam has granted more rights to women than any other religion. And I also believe that we girls should not misuse these rights." The young lady is preparing to travel to Cambridge University for a five-year scholarship."I am not going forever," she says with a big smile on her face.
"Inshaullah I will come back and will struggle to change the lives of our women."
Waziristan
Queen Soraya: November 24, 1899 – April 20, 1968
Queen Soraya, wife of King Amanullah Khan, belonged to the Mohammadzai Pashtun tribe, a powerful sub-tribe of the Barakzai dynasty. She is credited to be one of the first and most powerful Afghan and Muslim female activists. Soraya Tarzi was King Amanullah Khan's only wife, which broke centuries of tradition. It was when she married into the monarchy that she grew to be one of the region's most important figures. Amanullah drew up the first constitution, establishing the basis for the formal structure of the government and setting up the role of the monarch within the constitutional framework. King Amanullah Khan publicly campaigned against the veil, against polygamy, and encouraged education of girls not just in Kabul but also in the countryside. At a public function, Amanullah said that "Islam did not require women to cover their bodies or wear any special kind of veil." At the conclusion of the speech, Queen Soraya tore off her "veil" in public and the wives of other officials present at the meeting followed this example.Soraya was very instrumental in enforcing change for women and publicly exhorted them to be active participants in nation building. In 1926, at the 7th anniversary of Independence from the Brits, Soraya in a public speech delivered the following message:
"It (Independence) belongs to all of us and that is why we celebrate it. Do you think, however, that our nation from the outset needs only men to serve it? Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation and Islam. From their examples we must learn that we must all contribute toward the development of our nation and that this cannot be done without being equipped with knowledge. So we should all attempt to acquire as much knowledge as possible, in order that we may render our services to society in the manner of the women of early Islam."
In 1927 and 1928 Amanullah Khan and his wife Soraya visited Europe. On this trip they were honored and feted. In fact, in 1928 the King and Queen received honorary degrees from Oxford University. The Queen spoke to a large group of students and leaders. This was an era when other Muslim nations, like Turkey and Egypt were also on the path to modernization. Hence, in Afghanistan, the elite was impressed by such changes and emulated their development models. However, the time was not right. Not only did conservative Muslims disagree with the changes, the British distributed pictures of Soraya without a veil, dining with foreign men, and having her hand kissed by the leader of France, Germany, etc. among tribal regions of Afghanistan. Conservative mullahs and regional leaders took the images and details from the royal family's trip to be a flagrant betrayal of Afghan culture, religion and "honor" of women. One can take the circulation of such images from foreign sources as evidence of British efforts to destabilize the Afghan monarchy, the first of many international attempts to keep the country in political, social and economic turmoil. When the royal family returned from Europe, they were met with hostility and eventually forced out of office. In 1929 the King abdicated in order to prevent a civil war and went into exile with his family to Italy.
Soraya Tarzi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
---------------------
Samar Minallah
Samar Minallah is a Pakistani Pashtoon Documentary filmmaker, free lance journalist, human rights activist and an anthropologist. Through various means and mediums she has been fighting and bringing to attention the unseen images and unheard voices of the disadvantaged groups of Pakistan, especially women. Her background in Anthropology and Development from the University of Cambridge UK led her to focus on a culturally sensitive approach to development and social change. While Samar has primarily been documenting the positive aspects of the lives of Pukhtun women, her documentaries have also focused on social and human rights issues. Most of her documentaries, especially the award winning ‘Swara: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters’, is being used for educational purposes at Amnesty International while ‘Bibi Shireenay’ has been screened at the United Nations building in New York. Her documentaries have helped in breaking the silence around many sanctioned forms of violence against women. All her documentaries are issue-based, targeting the general audience and policymakers.She is also founder of Ethnomedia, a non-government organization that works in the field of media and advocacy. Her most recent documentary highlighted the plight of internally displaced Pakhtun tribes people forced out because of the ongoing fighting in the region.
Samar Minallah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
YouTube - Allaho--A lullaby for you my daughter! by Samar Minallah
YouTube - Shinwaray Lawangeena---Where the Waters Meet by Samar Minallah
------------------
Nazo Anna (born in 1061 A.H. (1682 A.D.)
Nazo Anaa was a great intellectual and a poet. She started her education in her early childhood, and soon at this early age stunned her teachers and the elders of the her tribe with her cognizance and charisma. She grew up to be one the best known and respectable woman of her time and in Afghan history. She gained a remarkable prestige for her knowledge, affection, generosity, and hospitality among the people. The tales of her generosity and hospitality were known form Khyber to Kohshon (in present day Iran). She used to treat hundreds of lodgers, especially in the winter time, giving them food, cloths, and a place to sleep in her castle. Nazo Anaa was also a courageous lady, and has left many stories of her heroinism, the famous of which was when her father died in a battle near Soor Ghar (red mountain), and her brother Hajji Addel Tukhi left to avenge their father. Nazo Anaa was left to the defence of the castle and the village. She dressed like a worrier and fought against the enemy to their defeat.
She took exceptional care in the education of her son Mirwais Khan, after an oracle from Sheikh Beet Neekah, writer, thinker and leader of tenth century Afghanistan, in her sleep, in the days when Mirwais Khan was born. She was told to "educate her son well, for that he will grow up to be a leader who will perform great service for his people, go to the house of God, and from will bore a magnificent dynasty that will lighten the people with Islam."
Naz o Ana :: Khyber.ORG
Malalai Kakar (1967 – 28 September 2008)
Malalai Kakar was the most high-profile policewoman in Afghanistan after the ousting of the Taliban in 2001 A Lieutenant Colonel, she was the head of Kandahar's department of crimes against women. Kakar, who received numerous death threats, was assassinated by the Taliban on September 28, 2008. She was shot dead between 7:00am and 8:00am in her car outside of her house while on the way to work. When Kakar was killed she was reported to be either in her late 30s or early to mid 40s and had 6 children.
Kakar joined the police force in 1982, following in the footsteps of her father and brothers. She was the first woman to graduate from the Kandahar Police Academy, and the first to become an investigator with the Kandahar Police Department.The fate of Malalai Kakar illustrates the intricacies of gender issues in law enforcement in Afghanistan. Female Afghan police offiers leave their homes hidden by a burqa, to don a police uniform and weapon at the police station to do their job. End of 2009 there were about 500 active duty policewomen in Afghanistan, compared with about 92,500 policemen. A few dozen serve in the southern provinces Kandahar and Helmand, where the influence of the Taliban is strongest.
Policewomen play an essential role in the war against insurgents in Afghanistan. In a culture that is marked by a strict separation of the sexes, the security forces need women to perform special tasks, like the searching of women and homes. They are essential to conduct home searches, since Afghans are deeply offended when male soldiers or police enter premises where women are present, and at checkpoints men cannot search women for concealed weapons and other contraband.
Malalai Kakar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
------------
Maria Maria Toorpakai Wazir
Recalling her childhood days in the town of Shakai, a witty Maria says she used to fight with boys in the streets, which ultimately helped her become a strong and independent woman. "My father raised me as a boy, and I too have always considered myself a boy," she said, noting that this why her first sport choices was weightlifting.
She disguised herself as a boy to take part in her first ever sports event, which was a weightlifting championship in Peshawar. However, due to the lack of facilities for women weightlifters, she decided to give up the sport, though she still thinks she had the potential to excel in that field. Maria met former world squash champion Jansher Khan in Peshawar in 2002, sparking her interest in the sport.Two years later, she became Pakistan’s top female squash player and is currently seeded 85 on the World Squash Federation ranking.
Maria gives credit to her father for all her achievements. "It’s my father who has brought me here. He had to migrate from Waziristan to Peshawar because he did not accept the so-called tribal traditions, which have nothing to do with Islam."Maria admits that there is a little room for women in normal course of life in rugged Waziristan.
"For a majority of women and girls their boundary walls are everything," she notes." It’s the entire world for them, which definitely is because of local culture and tribal traditions." The squash champion insists, however, that this has nothing to do with Islam which is the biggest exponent of women rights. "Islam doesn’t forbid women to excel in every walk of life," Maria insists."I believe that Islam has granted more rights to women than any other religion. And I also believe that we girls should not misuse these rights." The young lady is preparing to travel to Cambridge University for a five-year scholarship."I am not going forever," she says with a big smile on her face.
"Inshaullah I will come back and will struggle to change the lives of our women."
Waziristan
.
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